The Ongar Academy
Ongar, CM5 0AN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonathan Sands
- Sponsor
- Bridge Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Brentwood and Ongar
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 800
- Pupils on roll
- 467
- URN
- 141947
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01277500990
About this school
The Ongar Academy is a secondary academy in Ongar. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 467 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Ongar Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 1 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 112 | 111 | 112 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.0 | 38.9 | 37.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.30 -0.57 to -0.04 | -0.57 -0.84 to -0.29 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 32.4% | 25.9% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 67% | 57.7% | 50.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 22% | 46.8% | 34.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Ongar Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 45 | 43.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 38.9 | 41.6 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 37.4 | 42.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 12.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 597 |
| 2023/24 | 553 |
| 2024/25 | 511 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Ongar Academy compares
The Ongar Academy ranked 68th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 31% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 37.4 | 12.2% | 30.3% | 467 | — |
| Passmores Academy | 34.8 | 11.7% | 31.9% | 1,199 | 6.0 miles |
| Shenfield High School | 45.3 | 9% | 19.1% | 1,528 | 6.5 miles |
| Epping St John's Church of England School | 42.8 | 9.9% | 22.6% | 1,036 | 6.6 miles |
| Mark Hall Academy | 38.9 | 9.9% | 30.8% | 867 | 6.6 miles |
| Becket Keys Church of England Free School | 56 | 5% | 10.9% | 1,152 | 6.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.33%
- English as an additional language
- 5.3%
- Overall absence
- 12.16%
- Persistent absence
- 34.16%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Passmores Academy6.0 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Shenfield High School6.5 miles
Secondary · Brentwood
-
Epping St John's Church of England School6.6 miles
Secondary · Epping
-
Mark Hall Academy6.6 miles
Secondary · Harlow
-
Becket Keys Church of England Free School6.6 miles
Secondary · Brentwood
Other schools in Ongar
- Chipping Ongar Primary School Primary
- Dr Walker's CofE Primary School Primary
- High Ongar Primary School Primary
- Moreton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Ongar Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Ongar Academy teach?
- The Ongar Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Ongar.
- Who is the headteacher of The Ongar Academy?
- The headteacher of The Ongar Academy is Mr Jonathan Sands, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Ongar Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Ongar Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Ongar Academy?
- The Ongar Academy has 467 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Ongar Academy full?
- The Ongar Academy has capacity for 800 pupils and 467 on roll (58%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Ongar Academy a faith school?
- No. The Ongar Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is The Ongar Academy part of an academy trust?
- The Ongar Academy is part of BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Ongar Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45 in 2022/23 and 37.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Ongar Academy compare with other schools in Essex?
- The Ongar Academy ranked 68th of 78 secondary schools in Essex for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 31% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 4% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Ongar Academy's absence rate?
- The Ongar Academy's overall absence rate is 12.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Ongar Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Ongar Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 2 July 2026.